Kearney man convicted on rape charge

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - A Kearney man faces sentencing in November for convictions on violent crimes against two separate victims.

According to officials, 42-year-old Jason Jones was convicted Friday of first-degree sexual assault for an incident in May of last year. He pleaded no contest and in exchange prosecutors dropped related charges of third-degree domestic assault, strangulation and false imprisonment. Court records with details of the crime were sealed, but charges indicate that an “intimate partner” was the victim of the sexual assault.

In a separate case, Jones was convicted Friday of attempted first-degree assault for two separate incidents against another victim in September 2019 and February 2020. He pleaded no contest and in exchange prosecutors dropped charges of attempted murder, third degree assault, strangulation and false imprisonment. Details of these crimes were also sealed, but the original charges indicated that the crimes were committed against a separate victim.

Jones is scheduled for sentencing in November. Court records indicate that prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence of 20 years for each conviction with the sentences to be served at the same time.